Device for guiding a submersible pump unit

ABSTRACT

A device for guiding a submersible pump unit to and from its operation position includes an essentially vertical thin guide member the lower end of which gradually changes into a broader portion and the upper end of which is tilted to make possible an easily releasable connection to a guide formed on the pump unit.

The invention concerns a method and a device for guiding a submersiblepump unit to and from its operation position.

With pump units, which are meant to work entirely or partly immersed inliquid, there is a great inconvenience in maintenance work if the pumpunits are permanently installed. In order to solve these problems it isknown practice to arrange for the pump units to be lowered into thepumped medium guided along guides and, in their lowered position,bearing against a rigidly arranged outlet pipe for the pumped liquid.The connection of the pump unit must in this position close tightlyagainst the outlet pipe without needing to be attached to it by screwsor the like. In the Swedish Pat. No. 163 212 is shown an example of howsubmersible pumps may be mounted by help of such guides.

The guides which are normally used are two parallel pipes whichcooperate with a guide means mounted on the pump unit.

In order to decrease costs the pipes are sometimes replaced by wires orropes. An example of this is shown in the Swedish Pat. No. 354 324.

The purpose of the invention is to further improve the technique toguide submersible pump units and to reduce the material consumption andthus the costs to a minimum.

According to the invention this is obtained by guiding the pump unitalong one single, relatively thin guide, which near the operation levelof the pump gradually changes into a broader part while the upper end ofthe guide is tilted to obtain an easily releasable connection of thepump unit.

The invention is described more closely below with reference to theenclosed drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a pump unit with a guide according tothe invention.

FIG. 2 shows the guide and its connections.

FIGS. 3 and 4 shows two views of the guide means.

In the Figures 1 stands for a submersible pump unit having a drivingunit 2 and a pump part 3. The latter is provided with an outlet 4 whichmay be connected to an outlet pipe 5 with a connection shoulder 6. 7stands for a guide means on the pump unit 1 comprising two forkformedlegs 8 and 9 and a bow 10. 11 stands for a guide, the lower end of whichchanges into a broader part, such as a loop 12. 13 stands for the upperpart of the guide, which goes through a socket 14 and having atensioning device 15.

The guiding of the pump unit 1 thus takes place along one single, mainlyvertical, guide 11, preferable a steel wire. The lower part of the wireis formed like a loop 12, which is attached around the horizontal partof the outlet pipe 5. The upper part 13 of the wire 11 is tilted, forinstance 90°, from the vertical plane and stretched by help of atensioning device 15 attached to the pump tank. A socket 14 obtains thetilting of the wire.

The guiding means 7 on the pump unit 1 has two fork formed legs 8 and 9,which are displaced vertically in relation to each other. They are alsofacing each other and overlap so they, when regarded from a pointvertically above, seem to form a closed ring.

As the two legs 8 and 9 are vertically displaced and as the upper part13 of the wire is tilted from the vertical plane, the wire 11 may easilybe brought in between the legs. The pump unit 1 is then brought towardsthe wire at a level where one of the legs 8 is in a position above thepart 13, while the other leg 9 is brought in below that part. As thepump unit 1 then is brought downwards, the wire 11 will be encircled bythe two legs. The pump unit thus becomes connected to the wire, but isallowed to slide, without any possibility to disconnect as this can onlytake place in the upper position where the wire is tilted.

The pump unit is thus securely guided by the wire 11 along its waytowards its operation position. The pump unit is allowed a relativelybig play during lowering, but can never lose its contact with the wire.

When the pump unit approaches its working position, another guiding isdemanded, which guides the unit to a correct position for connection tothe outlet pipe 5. For that purpose the wire 11 is gradually transferredinto a loop 12, which is put around the horizontal part of the outletpipe. The two slings of the loop will then guide the guide means 7 to acorrect position, suitable for the connection. Immediately before theconnection, the unit is also guided by a shoulder 6 on the outlet pipe,which cooperate with the bow 10 on the guide means 7.

Dismounting of the pump unit takes place in a similar way. When theguide means 7 has been moved so far upwards along the wire 11, that theupper leg (8) takes a position above the tilted part 13 of the wire, thepump unit may be easily disconnected from the wire.

In order to facilitate the guiding during connection at the upper partof the wire, a simple guide rail may be arranged at the end of the wire,which rail cooperates with the guide means 7. For the same reason thelegs 8 and 9 may be somewhat vertically tilted.

The lower part 12 of the wire consists in its simplest form of a loop.Another possible ending would be an essentially triangle formed sheetmetal, having its peak fastned to the wire and its base to the outletpipe. It is essential that the transition between the wire and thetriangular piece or the loop is gradual to obtain a smooth guiding.

We claim:
 1. A device for guiding a submersible pump unit in a verticaldirection to and from its operation position, comprising:a thinvertically disposed guide member; a lower guide member portion disposedat a lower end of the guide member and having a gradually increasingwidth; a tilted guide member portion connected to the upper end of theguide member; and guide means provided on the pump unit and arranged toslide along the guide member and the lower guide member when the pumpunit is moved, the guide means being provided with two legs, verticallydisplaced in relation to each other and facing each other with a certainoverlap.
 2. A device according to claim 1, wherein the guide member is awire.
 3. A device according to claim 2, wherein the lower guide memberportion is a loop on the wire which is put around a horizontal part ofan outlet pipe.
 4. A device according to claim 2, additionallycomprising a socket through which the wire is directed, said socketbeing bent to form the tilted guide member portion.
 5. A deviceaccording to claim 4, additionally comprising a wire tensioning device.6. A device according to claim 1, wherein the tilted guide memberportion is tilted 90° from the vertical guide member.